Genetic Basis of Resistance to Wheat Yellow Rust

Yellow (stripe) rust, the agent of which is a biotrophic fungus, Puccinia striiformis West. f. sp. tritici (Pst), is one of the most harmful diseases of wheat. Creating resistant genotypes is considered an ecologically safe and economically profitable technology for plant protection. At present, there are over 80 known and officially recognized genes of resistance to stripe rust (Yr) as well as dozens of genes with temporary labeling. Some Yr genes were characterized, and the corresponding molecular markers to them were selected. An urgent direction of studies is the search for effective quantitative trait loci (QTL) to be used in breeding programs for resistance to yellow rust. In current views, the genetic resistance of wheat to yellow rust is divided into adult seedling resistance (ASR) and adult plant resistance (APR). Most identified genes of resistance to yellow rust are considered race-specific ASR-genes. At present, the unification and systematization of all races were performed using the global pathogen collections, which allowed for the practical application of approximately 20 identified genetic groups of Pst. Triticum aestivum L. is believed to be the source of most genes of resistance to yellow rust: more than 50 Yr genes originate from bread wheat. Relevant sources of resistance genes can also be found in wild and cultivated Triticum species and genetically related plants, including different species of goat grass. The localization of Yr genes of the chromosomes of genomes Lambda, B, and D of T. aestivum L. demonstrated their highest number in genome Lambda. The genotypes with a complex of genes, controlling resistance to several diseases, are considered especially valuable and widely used in breeding programs worldwide.